The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1887-07-30
WHITE PINE NEWS
SATURDAY : JULY 80, 1851
WHY ~orhmem Are Not Fully Em-
pIOyed.

developed by the Illinois bureau u
Labor Statistics. This body IN it,
Latest re port shows that 0fthe working
men in that State only 20 per cent
are EN- ployed full time, and 30 PEI
cent. work less than half time. THOSE
who oct less than 40 weeks work are
as per cent. of the whole; and those
Who yet only from ID 10 80 weeks
wages in the year 80 per cent. OF the
whole or, 3O,45l in number. The COT
clusiou drawn from these rather mourn
c3itigdres, 10y the report, Is tlfat they
supply strong argument FOR the re-
duction of the hours of daily laooi !;
the idea being that, as there Is Only
;ust 80 much work to be done, the
diminution Of the time spent in doing
it will have the effect to permit the
larger employment of men now not
Eully employed. This notion, It will
be observed, is simply Development
of the theory that there is ovcrproduc'
ton of the fruits of labor; that men
now make more than men can con
sume. and that. rs too much wealth Is
produced. idle or half idle persons
cannot find full use for their powers
except by decreasing the tins 10 which
ali others are employed.
Now we venture the assertion that
these conclusions, and the theory from
which they are drawn, are wholly apart
from the truth, and absolutely defiant
Of the first principles of economy. Ii
NAV be laid down as fundamental
fact, beyond the reach of controversy,
that there has never been, and that
there never will be, any overprocuctien
of the general mass of things upon
which human industry expends itself.
The reason for this is that there can
not possibly be creation eli too much
wealth until human desire IS COM
pletely satisfied, and human desire for
good things is an appetite which grows
constantly with the materials upon
which il feeds. That all men do not
now have enough is fact which needs
no denioas,rstiou The Complaint oil
these Illinois workmen is that they do
rot or canuot get enough-ntt that
they OF any OF their kindred and &C.
auainiancps have too much. If they
aud millions of others cannot fully
supply their wants ut time when
muliitudes of men are complaining
that, tor their part, they cannot find
opportunity to go to werk to create
auch supply, then, manltestly, the
trouble is NOT that too many are work
my and producing too much, hut that
there is some grave and scandaious
defect in the social and commercial
machinery which operates under the
pressure of supply and demand. This
- No clear rs sunlight TO every man
who thinks.
What, then, is the matterl We
think We can give At least partial
answer TO that question, says the Tex
tile Record. We must, OF course. put
aside the cases of men whose business
il of such kind that it cannot be pur-
sued constantly, as, for example, brick
layers and masons, against whom Is
the fact that their work can hardly be
done in wiHtry weather. The matter
must be considered in general way.
on broad grounds; and We declare thi I
ihe first thing to be eonsidsre rs toe
greatest aud worst and most deslruct
i've enemy of the workman is the rum
traffic. Let Us leave out of the ques-
ton the mural aspects of that business,
aud regard it wholly from an econo-
mical standpoint.
Ia the report issued last month by
the Bureau nf Statistics ut Washington,
il il shown that the total annual ex
pendilure Tor matt and sp ritunus liq-
uare az refaii in the United States Is
100000. 900, aud that the drinking
population includes about $1,000. 900
persons. According to the census OF
1880 1.-THE most recent and accurate
source of information we have), the
total annual product ci four great in
dustries in this country is as follows:
Clo'hing, mems and women's -. :. sal, ~ 2s4
Sottoh goo1S. .............s........ xlu9SO,SS
WOODEN goods. ............... loOoOo,dsl
Aron and stee'. ................... 29o,b51.6so
Comparing these figures with those
given above by the Bureau of Statistics,
MA knd that fh,a m or.av aoua ndarsd far